Strategic Goals

As the largest community of innovators and talent developers at Penn State, the College of Engineering has developed strategic plan goals to further our relentless pursuit of engineering excellence. We will accomplish this through research, education, and public impact with a focus on the goals defined below through 2030.

Enhancing Student Success

Undergraduate Students
Penn State Engineering will advance undergraduate student success by preparing students for career and leadership readiness, expanding financial and programmatic support, ensuring an agile and future-focused curriculum, and recognizing excellence in teaching and learning. Together, these efforts will enable all undergraduate students to thrive, graduate on time, and make meaningful contributions in a rapidly evolving global and technological landscape.

Goal 1 – Career Readiness, Leadership, and Workforce Alignment: Prepare undergraduate students for leadership and career success in applying engineering technical skills for an era of intelligent, resilient, and rapidly evolving systems.
Goal 2 – Financial, Programmatic, and Holistic Student Support: Expand financial and programmatic support for implementation of curricular and co-curricular high-impact practices that advance student opportunity, access, and belonging, while supporting student learning outcomes and development of soft skills for career success.
Goal 3 – Agile and Future-Focused Curriculum: Continue engineering education stature as a top producer of talent at scale by ensuring agility in curriculum for emerging needs (artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, global contexts).
Goal 4 – Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation: Support and recognize excellence in teaching, learning, and innovation.

Graduate Students
Penn State Engineering will advance graduate student success by preparing students for leadership, career readiness, and applied research excellence; developing them as innovative teachers and mentors; expanding financial and programmatic support that fosters access and belonging; and ensuring an agile, future-focused curriculum. Together, these efforts will equip graduate students to excel in academia, industry, and society amid rapidly evolving technological and global challenges.

Goal 1 – Career Readiness, Leadership, and Applied (Inter)disciplinary Research Preparation: Prepare graduate students for leadership and career success in applying engineering for an era of intelligent, resilient and rapidly evolving systems by enhancing career mentorship, advancing research skills, publications, and entrepreneurship; developing partnerships for industrial and applied interdisciplinary research; and increasing student competitiveness for external research awards.
Goal 2 – Teaching, Mentorship, and Pedagogical Excellence: Develop graduate students as innovative teachers and mentors through intentional preparation, certification, and recognition programs.
Goal 3 – Financial, Programmatic, and Holistic Student Support: Advance financial and programmatic support for graduate student opportunities, access, and belonging.
Goal 4 – Agile and Future-Focused Curriculum: Support graduate programs in ensuring agility in graduate curriculum for emerging needs (artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, global contexts).

Growing (Inter)disciplinary Research Excellence

Penn State Engineering will strengthen interdisciplinary research excellence by integrating research and education, building national leadership and reputation in advanced interdisciplinary domains, expanding collaborative research centers, and accelerating commercialization and innovation. Together, these efforts will position the College to translate discovery into impact while preparing the next generation of interdisciplinary engineering scholars.

Goal 1 – Integrated Research and Education for Interdisciplinary Scholar Development: Leverage our position as a leader in research integration with education to enhance interdisciplinary research training and experiential learning opportunities for emerging scholars.
Goal 2 – Interdisciplinary Research Leadership and Reputation Building: Build our reputation as the top College of Engineering for interdisciplinary research by supporting advanced research in intelligent, resilient, and rapidly evolving systems as evidenced by established seed grant funding programs, cost share opportunities, expanded interactions with external partners and increased communications, honors and rewards for research excellence.
Goal 3 – Interdisciplinary Research Center Development and Expansion: Establish and expand intra-institutional research centers in emerging areas of interdisciplinary research.
Goal 4 – Research Commercialization, Innovation, and Venture Advancement: Advance research commercialization and innovation, through investing in technology transfer partnerships, as well as venture capital opportunities.

Increasing Land Grant Impact

Penn State Engineering will strengthen its land-grant mission by deepening community and industry partnerships, expanding opportunity and support for Pennsylvania students, advancing research with meaningful societal and economic impact, and integrating teaching, research, and commercialization across Commonwealth Campuses. Collectively, these efforts will extend the College’s reach, relevance, and service to the Commonwealth and the nation.

Goal 1 – Community Engagement and Industry Partnership Advancement: Strengthen and sustain community engagement and industry partnerships; and engage alumni, and other stakeholders with enhanced communication of land grant value, while developing professionals prepared to address state and national needs.
Goal 2 – Pennsylvania Student Opportunity, Access, and Support: Advance financial and programmatic support for Pennsylvania student opportunity, access, and belonging.
Goal 3 – Research with Societal and Economic Impact: Advance research that aligns with industry goals, knowledge sharing, and influence with regional industry success.
Goal 4 – Commonwealth Campus Teaching, Research, and Commercialization Integration: Bolster teaching, research, and commercialization with Commonwealth Campuses.

Maintaining a Welcoming and Connected Engineering Community

Penn State Engineering will foster a welcoming and connected community by celebrating the diverse contributions of the people who comprise the engineering community, strengthening belonging, expanding equitable access to opportunity, eliminating student success outcome gaps, and advancing inclusive engineering education in which people of all backgrounds and identities are valued and have equitable opportunities for engagement and success. Through these efforts, the College will empower all students, staff, and faculty to thrive academically, professionally, and personally.

Goal 1 – Foster Belonging and Community: Cultivate a strong sense of belonging among students, staff, and faculty within the Penn State Engineering community.
Goal 2 – Enable Equitable Opportunity and Empowerment: Create an inclusive Penn State Engineering experience in which all individuals are equipped, supported, and empowered to achieve their academic, professional, and personal potential.
Goal 3 – Eliminate Outcome Gaps in Student Success: Close outcome gaps in student success, retention, graduation, academic achievement, and career placement.
Goal 4 – Advance Inclusive and Equitable Engineering Education: Enhance the engineering curriculum through culturally responsive teaching, inclusive teamwork, and equitable access to high-learning opportunities.

Transforming Health Care Through Academic and Clinical Synergy

Penn State Engineering will work across disciplines to apply engineering principles that solve complex problems and improve outcomes for the entire healthcare enterprise. The College’s breadth of engineering research expertise positions faculty to lead in developing medical devices, creating innovations in regenerative medicine, streamlining hospital operations, advancing nuclear medicine, and creating health software.

Goal 1 – Increase Engineering in Healthcare Research Impact
Goal 2 – Advance Engineering in Healthcare Innovation and Technology Transfer
Goal 3 – Develop the Next Generation Healthcare Workforce
Goal 4 – Improve College and Department Reputation and Rankings